


petals

by dixiestix



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 19:40:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17473772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dixiestix/pseuds/dixiestix
Summary: In which Minato falls in love with a boy who can’t love him back.





	petals

It wasn’t apparent at first. Ryoji stood out amongst the faces of people Minato recognized, but he figured it was just because of how eccentric he is. They did spend a lot of time together, always running into each other in and out of school. He was probably just another bond he was going to form. Nothing more, nothing less.

They were in his dorm room today, getting away from the noise downstairs. Ryoji sat at the edge of his bed, strangely mirroring Pharos. His scarf hang loosely from his neck. He fiddled with the hem.

“How often do you think about death, Minato?” He asks.

Minato had a startling amount of encounters with death. It started with his parents in the car crash, and nearly lose his sister to it. Then the long line of relatives they stayed with throughout his childhood. Each would die from natural causes, and the trend started to drastically decrease the family members willing to take them in.

He recalled the last funeral he’d been at, which was his great grandmother. His aunt had called them ‘cursed children’ before reluctantly taking custody of them. Then there is Apathy Syndrome, and Akinari.

“It’s always on my mind.” He simply replies.

Ryoji decides to press further. “Does it scare you?”

“Not really.”

Ryoji hums, a sign that he is deep in thought. “A lot of people say that they fear death, either because of the time and place it may happen, the way that they will go, or the uncertain future. It doesn’t scare me for reasons I’m not sure of.” He flashes Minato a small smile. “I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who feels like that.”

Then Ryoji’s hand rests on Minato’s lap. He doesn’t know why it catches his attention so much. It’s just an act of sincerity, a way of showing mutual understanding. He recalls many times Junpei would rest his hand on his shoulder, much to his discomfort. But this was personal, more affectionate and close then a simple pat on the back. It didn’t bother him despite his need for personal space. It actually felt nice.

The moment passes and Ryoji eventually has to leave for the day. Minato walks him down to the main lobby and waves goodbye. When the boy is out of sight, Minato suddenly becomes hyper aware that the area is now void of life besides himself. Everyone must have went out. He is used to being alone. There’s Minako, but she has a busier social life than he does, so she is usually out and about completing social links.

The mid November chill digs into his skin through his blazer. Minato slides his hands in his pockets. He should probably head back to his dorm room. He needs to rest before they enter Tartarus for the night. There is also homework that he needs to complete in the meantime. He’s walking up the second flight of stairs when he remembers the warmth of Ryoji’s hand on his leg.

It is a pleasant memory for a small moment, but then he feels something welling up in his chest. Did the draft outside bring on a cold? He couldn’t afford to miss tonight’s expedition. Minako is perfectly capable of leading the team on her own, but the floor they are on currently might be too challenging for her without his assistance. He tries to suppress the urge to cough.

Despite his efforts, Minato coughs into his elbow. It is violent, causing pain to flare in his throat. He blinks away the pricks of tears in his eyes before glancing at the area. Instead of seeing saliva like he expected, a cluster of petals threaten to fall onto the floor.

The icy tendrils of fear grip Minato’s heart. He rarely ever feels fear for himself. Usually it is when one of his teammates are on the verge of death, and no one has enough energy to heal. The petals that now lay on the carpeted flooring only meant one thing. The idea makes him feel sick. He had never felt romantic attraction for any of the bonds he has formed. He made it a point not to, seeing as he wasn’t interested in a relationship. He doesn’t fall easily, he knows that for sure. So whoever he has developed feelings for must really stick out to him.

Minato can only think of one person who fits that description. It triggers another coughing fit, more pink petals coating his arm. A array of concerns begin to stem from that one thought. How is he going to tell him? Does he even want to? There are surgeries for this type of thing, after all. But with that surgery comes the price of losing his ability to love.

He really doesn’t have the time for it, either. His schedule is packed with expeditions in Tartarus, keeping up with social links, maintaining average grades in school. That’s not even including the time dedicated to improving his stats. Too many things to do in a small amount of time.

So that only leaves actually confessing, which is a gamble in itself.

Minato sighs, brushing his bangs behind his ear. His gaze falls upon the scattered petals across the floor. He should clean this up before anyone has the chance to see.

**Author's Note:**

> hiya! it's been a while since i posted a fanfic on here. this one was written over a year ago. i was planning on making it a chapter story but i lost interest at some point. but i might return to this one day! i really like hanahaki stories so i might continue this, who knows. ;)


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